#Hedgehog like Barbie dolls

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Thinking about...mobian Erik...

[sablesdolls]

a mini guide to mini dolls

i'm making this because i love smaller dolls (between 4-7" tall) and i wish there were more options that aren't toddlers/children😔 if anyone knows of a doll line i've missed, please let me know!!

MGA Dream Ella Extra Iconic Mini doll

articulation including elbows and knees

more realistic adult proportions

brushable hair

6" tall

available on Amazon (but discontinued I think)

only 3 doll models were made

Barbie Extra Mini doll

articulation including elbows and knees

big, rounded head compared to body

brushable hair

5.5" tall

available at retailers

Magic Mixies Pixlings doll

articulation of arms and legs but only elbows, not knees

big, rounded head

molded-on clothing and supernatural features like wings, ears, horns, fins, etc.

6-6.5" tall

available at retailers

My Little Pony Equestria Girls Mini dolls

articulation including elbows and knees

Big head, but balanced out with big feet

Molded-on plastic hair, clothes, shoes, and horse ears

4.5-5" tall

discontinued, have to buy second-hand and can be expensive

Disney Store 5.5" Mini dolls

only basic articulation: head, legs, arms.

Proportions are realistic, close to a 12" doll like Barbie or MH

Brushable hair (although male dolls have molded hair)

5.5" tall

discontinued, obscure, and can be expensive second-hand

Winner's Stable playset dolls

articulation of knees but not elbows

budget dolls (not the best quality)

brushable hair

5" tall

discontinued but affordable second-hand

Breyer Freedom Series 1:12 scale dolls

I'm pretty sure they're articulated to the elbows and knees?

proportions similar to Barbie or MH

brushable hair

hands in reins-holding pose lol

6" tall

available but overpriced imo

Kuu Kuu Harajuku Mini doll

only basic articulation at arms and legs

oversized head and feet

molded-on hair

4-4.5" tall

discontinued but available second-hand, not too expensive

Capsule Chix

LOTS of articulation, including even hands and feet

All joints pop easily on and off

fairly realistic proportions

body has molded-on details to look like a robot

some have molded-on clothes, all have molded plastic hair

4.5-5" tall

available at retailers or second-hand, although a bit overpriced imo

Enchantimals 6" dolls

only basic arm and leg articulation

brushable hair

huge head with slim body

molded-on animal features like ears or horns

6" tall

pretty easy to find on Amazon or second-hand, affordable

Sonic Prime Action Figures

according to the box, 13 points of articulation

(obviously) molded to look like the Sonic the Hedgehog characters

lots of molded and painted details

5" tall

available at retailers, usually around $15 each

I'm including these even though they're action figures because if someone wanted to swap the heads, I think the bodies would be a fun and unique choice for a custom doll

there are actually lots of interesting articulated action figures that have customization potential!

[magnetic-maverick]

Definitely one of my favorite movies. It’s entertaining, has solid songs, a fun villain and villain song with a dark reprise, a good message, and really good animation. I enjoy fun comforting movies. I prefer animation over most live action movies. I do like some live action movies like the FNAF movie, Sonic The Hedgehog movies, some marvel films, and Barbie.

[eepop-stuffs]

(Art blog is @eepop-artz)

Subscribe to my YT channel!

ABOUT MII

I am a (cis) girl, who is into many stereotypically girlish things :]

I mostly post about dolls or things I think are pretty. I also draw, but my artistic endeavors mostly live on my art blog @eepop-artz unless they also have something to do with dolls, in which case I'll probably just self reblog lol.

I like fixing and reviving old things, whether it be obscure magical girl shows that only i care about, (COUGH COUGH @team-angel-official COUGH COUGH) or dolls I find at savers that have a really pretty face but a broke ass body.

I'm queer but would prefer not to label my sexuality. If you want a label, though, it's probably bisexual or pansexual.

(More below the cut)

Fandoms/Interests

Sonic the Hedgehog

Kaiba (2008)

Winx Club

Barbie

The Thief and the Cobbler (I doubt there's much of a community to this one tbh, but if there is I would love to meet some of you)

Smiling Friends

Sailor Moon

Pucca

Doll Collecting (the big one lol, never a day I'm not thinking about dolls)

Sideblogs (in order of most updated)

@floptropican-herstory

@eepop-artz

@team-angel-revival

@splatsville-speed

@nowhere-is-our-city

@all-soul-crossover-comic

Splatsville speed was made to fuel my splatoon obsession.

Team Angel is my newest project! Please check it out.

Nowhere is our city is nothing. 🙂

I've stopped working on All Soul for personal reasons, but if you liked All Soul you'll probably like Team Angel :)

Other Info

If you send me asks and such referring to your financial situation, I will not answer the ask, but reblog any posts you have about it instead. This is to hopefully avoid scams (but at the same time, you never really know. I'd recommend anyone going through this blog to at least be a little more cautious before donating to some of the sources with fewer notes, at least).

I have no real big dni list, but if you are a hateful person (no matter the political views), I do not want you interacting with my blog in any way.

Also:

If you see me on Twitter, Tikok, or Instagram: no, you didn't.

[goober-pumberto]

Hiya! Just thought I’d make this post to detail some of the fandoms I enjoy so people can get a gist of what I’m about (I was going to put this in my blog’s description but that made it look like a several paragraph essay so I decided to relegate all of these to a post instead)

TMNT

Sonic the Hedgehog

Usagi Yojimbo

Spiderman

Nintendo franchises (Mario, Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, etc)

FNAF

Disney

Pixar

Dreamworks

TOH

Anime/Manga

Vocaloid (Really into Project Sekai)

Vtubers (Mostly tuning into indie streamers right now tho.)

Several fashion dolls (Barbie, Monster High, Bratz, Ever After High, etc)

SU

SVTFOE

Eve (Japanese singer-songwriter and vocaloid producer)

MLP

Art/Animation

REGGIE BELAFONTE

Nimona

The Mucking Fuppets!!! (Tho I generally enjoy anything mildly puppet related)

Theme parks

Animatronics

Studio Ghibli

K-POP

Horror

There’s probs a lot more but my brain is fried

TERFS, Homophobia, Transphobia, Bullying, Racism, Misogyny, Sexism and harassment or hate of any kind are not tolerated and will be blocked

[smileymaste]

Barbie Movie Tier List

My opinions are fact and I will not take constructive criticism (lol jk this is all subjective don’t hate me if I hate your fave)

Also this is a work in progress because I decided to keep watching the movies beyond where I stopped watching as a kid so I will add more as I get to them

Here we go (below the cut)

Nutcracker- D+

It was the first movie, it was 2001,, It’s okay. The music really did it for me but I can’t give points for that because that’s all Tchaikovsky. The dizzying camera pans did not help. The plus is for the Sugarplum Fairy reveal because I had the doll and relived my childhood in that moment.

Rapunzel- A-

She’s an artist, she’s willful, she references modern art centuries ahead of its time, what more can I say. I know it’s still rough as the second movie but as someone with hair past my knees I’m legally obligated to love this movie. Minus for the ugly ferret, bonus points because I had the Rapunzel doll as a kid.

Swan Lake- C

Odette doesn’t... Do anything. I haven’t watched any other adaptation of Swan Lake so I’m not saying this is a Barbie thing in particular, but she just isn’t as cool as Rapunzel (but who is tbh) Loved the music again, but that’s Tchaikovsky. I enjoyed the little hedgehog guy and skunk girl.

(P.S. Does anyone else remember a Swan Lake computer game? Because that was all I could recall about the movie before I rewatched it)

Princess and Pauper- A

I’m just like you, you’re just like me. Phenomenal. I’m a sucker for a good musical and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finish. I will be rewatching it again because I liked it just that much. Serafina and Wolfie are amazing (bonus points because I had a Serafina toy), and even though Preminger is gross, his song is kind of a bop. How could I refuse to give this movie an A?

Fairytopia- B-

The beginning of the iconic Bibble... The Fairytopia movies only get better, so to start with a B- isn’t bad. I wish they explained more about the rainbow in her eye? And Laverna’s end is confusing because she just... disappears, and her fate isn’t explained until the next movie. All in all though, a solid movie.

Magic of Pegasus- B

We love a figure skater, we love a girl who refuses marriage to a weird magician. We don’t love Shiver just causing problems and not even being that cute. Bonus points for Annika being sassy as hell.

Mermaidia- B

Gay mermaids gay mermaids gay mermaids you can’t convince me otherwise. How come the fungi could leave the wastes but Laverna couldn’t (until...)? Elina sacrificing her wings to become a mermaid was a great moment, as well as when both Elina and Laverna ate the berries that showed their true selves. Bonus points for mermaids because I love mermaids.

Diaries- F

Why. Completely insipid and vapid and shallow and stupid as hell. Barbie being a curve-wrecker should’ve been a crowning moment but it wasn’t and I just can’t abide by a movie teaching kids that being good in school is bad. I must have erased this movie from my childhood memory because I didn’t recognize it at first. Bad movie.

12 Dancing Princesses- A+

A breath of fresh air after Diaries. I LOVE the 12 Dancing Princesses and (as of the writing of this post) it is my Favorite. I had the Genevieve doll, I named both of my (male) betta fish after Genevieve, and I named at least a couple of my Webkinz after other princesses too. The music is amazing, the story is amazing, the princesses are amazing (I don’t wanna hear anything about them being under-developed, there’s fucking 12 of em and it’s only 81 minutes long). Great movie. Best movie. Love this movie.

Magic of the Rainbow- B+

The finale of the Fairytopia trilogy, and the best one at that. Gotta love a totally-in-your-face rainbow motif, and I do. I don’t totally get how Laverna was able to leave the wastes if her punishment was to be trapped there but okay. I also don’t get how the Flight of Spring succeeded if Elina and Sunburst weren’t even participating most of the time but okay. Laverna trapping and assuming Sunburst’s identity was great villainy right there. I like Glee’s design :3 Bonus points for rainbows.

Island Princess- B

Admittedly, the video I watched of this movie seems to have had some parts cut out cuz there were some weird cuts, but I will judge thusly. Love me a musical, love the talking (to) animals, love the knowledge of medicinal plants. Otherwise too colonialism for me. I originally watched this movie during my “learning to survive on a deserted island” phase, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Mariposa- B+

I watched this movie to death as a kid, but I think that was mostly because it was the only movie we had unpacked while we were moving. Interesting change of pace having someone other than Barbie be the main character. I like Mariposa. I like her interest in constellations. Rayna and Rayla were kind of annoying but okay by the end (character development). Why are Zinzie’s ears backwards. Bonus points for the scene with The Fairy in the Cave of Reflections.

Diamond Castle- A

This is the first Barbie movie that I haven’t watched as a kid, so I’m watching this with fresh eyes and no nostalgia points. As always, musicals get bonus points with me. Alexa and Liana are gay you can’t change my mind (they invented the bi and lesbian flags with those dresses at the end). The twin dudes are just their boy toys, and I’m glad nothing really happened with them besides a dance. I would die for Sparkles and Lily and their dance moves.

Christmas Carol- B-

Another change of pace with Barbie not being the main chara, though I guess she can’t all of a sudden be British lol I’m glad that Barbie is raising money for hospitals irl (Barbie is real don’t fight with me) and that the orphanage in the story got funded as well. Good message. But gonna be real I’m not the biggest Christmas Carol person, so this movie didn’t stand the greatest chance with me. I like Catherine.

[jaylynx1412]

DO NOT give me adult money, because as soon as I get it I WILL buy all of the toys I wanted as a child but my parents couldn't buy for me because we were poor‼️‼️

here are some i can name off the top of my head that i will buy with my adult money:

Barbie ice cream maker

Giant teddy bear

Lalaloopsy dolls

Littlest petshops

Every piece of shadow the hedgehog merch i can get my hands on

Webkinz

Beanie Babies

Sylvanian families sets

Easy bake over

A barbie dream house

A giant snorelax beanbag

poppin cookin sets (I know they taste like shit but i want the experience)

I am super petty and that is the only reason I remember how much I wanted these toys when I was 5-10 years old

[grymoria]

Midnight Thoughts:

As an AFAB (Assigned Female At Birth), I grew up playing with Barbies and Bratz dolls. I even played with Hannah Montana dolls because of how much I loved the show. Now that I realized that I'm a masculine nonbinary person, none of that stuff really interest me anymore. I went from being into Bratz and Barbie to being into Dragon Ball Z and Sonic the Hedgehog.

But my inner child is BEGGING for me to watch the Monster High movies or whatever kind of media they have and I already know why. It's because I'm a Gothic/alternative person that is really into spooky stuff. So I would be into a series like that if I was a kid again probably.

I still don't know though.... Monster High seem to be for mainly hyperfeminine people and I don't consider myself feminine at all. Should I give the series a chance still?

[vivian-goatman]

Info about me!

Hi! My name's Jester/Vivian! I'm an autistic minor, so I'm sorry if I don't understand things sometimes!

My pronouns are he/him! And I'm AroAce!

I like, Batman, Doctor Who, Eddsworld, Mcyt (specifically Empires SMP and Slimecicle), Cuphead, BATIM, FNAF, Tim Burton, Sonic the hedgehog, Rainbow High (MGA WHYYYYYYY), Monster high, L.O.L Dolls, Barbie, Percy Jackson, and a lot more!

You can find my carrd here !

Side blogs

(that are active)

Reblogging blog - @spamerousc

Bat-Blog - @riddlingmywaydowntown

TMA RP blog - @therealnikolaorsinov

Master posts

The Arthyanin Revolution

[retrowaving1]

My painting of Basia in 2023 / My drawing of “the Queen” Basia (to the left) and princess myself as a cat ( to the right  ) in 2010 - yes, I was a weird child  :D

Despite the description, this post is going to be deeply personal   One month ago, I lost my dearest friend and one of the most beloved family members - my cat Basia. She was fighting a lymphoma since 2020, when she also had a surgery, but even afterward, the problem returned and started progressing again. By the end of May, my mom, who, together with the rest of my family, currently lives in Ukraine, wrote me a message that Basia stopped eating and drinking, and had trouble walking. Clearly, she was in pain and couldn't function anymore. We made a painful mutual decision to put her down the next day, so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. 

That day, I called my parents on Telegram to say goodbye to my pet. She was looking very ill, she lost most of her weight, and her fur, once silky and smooth, was looking like hedgehog spines. I cannot choose the words (even in my native language, let alone English) to describe the emotional state I was in, knowing that I couldn't be there for her at that moment. I felt guilty and I was so sorry. However, there was nothing to be done. The next day, that was the 1st of June, her 14th birthday, a vet came over to my parents' house and sent her to her last, peaceful sleep. My parents buried her at a beautiful, safe place near the river together with her favorite toy, a mouse, which she had since she was a kitten. 

Basia was an amazing cat. She was very loving and supportive, as much as a cat can be for a human, and even more. In a way, Basia provided me with advice, when I needed one, by gently biting me on my hand when I was misbehaving as a teenager and not accepting my abusive ex-boyfriend into the family, as if she was protecting me. She was an extremely wise pet. She also was my bestie. We were together since I was 8, and she was a 2 months old little piece of fluff. She used to support me through my pain and health issues, both physical and mental. 

She was my painkiller and my inspiration. When we adopted Basia, I had been attending art school for about one year. I have always liked painting, but if before Basia I would paint trees and barbie dolls, after I got her - everything was about her. I used to paint her in different costumes, as if she was a human. Once I painted her on an a2 canvas in my school uniform and I think this work won some kind of competition, and even was hanging on the art school’s wall for some time (even though it actually was awful, if you ask me now XD). 

I guess what I want to say is that I loved that cat so much I could honestly paint her forever and even write short stories about her, as she had her own character and her approach to life, and her eyes were always filled with some unattainable cat wisdom. I truly believe that this cat had a huge influence over my interest in arts and was my first-ever muse. Thus, the most reasonable homage I can pay her is her last portrait, which would capture her young, silky and beautiful, the way I remember her, sitting on the porch of our cottage.

Basia, my dearest pet to whom I owe so much, I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you in 2020, when you first got sick, and in 2023 when your time came, but I hope you didn't hold grudges against me at the moment when you found your final peace, as you have always been in my heart and no other pet will ever replace you. I still rewatch the videos of you, jumping and playing with your mouse, and I appreciate you so much for fighting this horrible disease for such a long time. You were always so strong. Thank you for all the happy memories and for all of your support throughout the years of our mutual friendship. Thank you for everything. I love you and may your cat soul, wherever it is right now, rest in peace.

_______________________________

[themetalvirus]

Geniiuineee3 genuine it genuine ^_^ what do you most want ever in the entire world ever!

oh!!! ok uhhh UH uh

this got long. i have so many daydreams about items i would enjoy having in my life srry

in terms of like, hopeful pipe dreams, i want a proper midline pc so i can play games on my computer without it absolutely Melting, but that kind of thing is prohibitively expensive. in terms of needs, i honestly just need more jammy pants and stuff like that since i've got a lot of worn out clothes i can't really afford to replace with anything but more clothes that'll wear out quickly. i just want quality stuff that'll last me more than a year or two... i also need more shampoo/conditioner/body wash im running out of all three

but in terms of smaller stuff, a silver the hedgehog plushie would be really nice. or a bunch of high-quality loose paper for using on my typewriter (all i have is sketchbooks and i don't like ripping them apart). maybe a proper dip pen, or a fountain pen with a flexible nib?? that would be really nice. i would also love to have a complete set of splatoon squid cushions, i have three but i would love to have all the colors in the original splatoon 1 run of them! or misc splatoon amiibo i don't have (octolings, squid sisters, the splatoon 3 amiibo)

lemme see. i'd love. fair trade milk chocolate and an actually good tasting alcoholic beverage of some kind.

OH SHIT WAIT, for sonic related stuff, i have a lot of wishes. the retail incentive covers of idw issue 50 i'm still missing from my collection, i'd also just love to own more of the metal virus arc physically, maybe one of the book collection thingies would be nice? i'd just love more physical sonic comics. i'd also love any figurines (not articulated toys though since the sonic franchise ones usually look really bad), a sonic or shadow plushie as well as a silver one, uhh MORE SONIC GAMES would be so cool!!! i'd love to check out the ds or gba sonics :) umm or just. art of my eggys. thats another thing i've been wanting to buy (er, commission) for a while now but art is a luxury and i need. clothes and body wash.

oh man, i've also been wanting a desk easel for a while since leaning down to draw is hell on my neck!! and i've wanted a neutral-to-cool temperature desk lamp so i can actually see yellow pigmented markers when i use them (and take better photos of my traditional art). these kinds of things are what i'm most likely to buy for myself

I CANNOT BELIEVE. I FORGOT. DOLLS. i love dolls of all kinds. barbie, monster high, ESPECIALLY rainbow high!!!, lol omgs.... i absolutely love doll collecting, it's one of my favorite hobbies. just seeing a bunch of cute dolls on my shelf makes me so happy, and considering most of them were gifts, it just reminds me that other people care. yknow? it's nice. i wanna get into doll customization but that ALSO kind of has a monetary gate to it, i'd need a lot of materials and need to practice a lot and i just. can't invest in that kind of thing.

actually scratch everything, if i could choose one (1) absolute miracle for christmas it'd be for my mom to get five million UNTAXED dollars. so she could buy a house and live comfortably for the rest of her life.

but uhh an actually achievable gift is to toss me five bucks on ko-fi so i can learn to drive once spring rolls around. adult driving lessons with accommodations for Brain Complications are expensive. money is honestly what i really need

[serioussideblog]

Many children don’t have a lot of toys. Some kids don’t even have one. Play is important for kids, because it gives them time to develop skills and makes them happy. Toys help facilitate play.

Before Christmas this year (or before whatever holiday you celebrate), set some time aside to talk with your kids about how giving away some toys they no longer play with can help other kids. You don’t have to tell them Santa isn’t real, just that some kids don’t get a lot of presents because sometimes toys are expensive. You can even tell your kids that by doing this they can be one of Santa’s helpers because “sometimes Santa needs help, too”. Get creative with it, have some fun yourself. And the above suggestion about it being a great way to help kids hone in on what they really want is spot-on.

Don’t shame your kid into it. Don’t do it without their knowledge or permission. This is a family activity.

Don’t donate severely broken toys. Either fix them, get someone else to, or just don’t donate. I’m not talking about a toy car with a dent or a Barbie that’s missing a finger. I’m talking about toys that straight-up cannot be played with in their current condition. Sew that paw back on that bunny, clean that alkaline battery gunk with some white vinegar and let it dry, and for the love of all things good and right, nobody wants a headless WALL-E. Not even me.

Check recall lists! Make sure the things you plan to donate are safe! Sometimes it’s a simple home remedy. I remember when I was little there was a toy toolset out there where literally only one piece was dangerous, and if you simply removed that, the set was safe to play with. Sometimes the company that made the toy will send out a remedy. Sometimes you can get money back, even many years later. Either way, don’t donate a hazard.

Also important: check what the thrift store you want to donate to allows. For example, many allow old stuffed animals, but some don’t. Some stores allow baby toys and some don’t (and still others allow some baby toys but on a restricted basis). Some stores have minimum standards for structural integrity (for example, not allowing items with holes).

I shop at thrift stores every chance I get, and I know others who do the same. Some people can only get things at thrift stores. So it’s important to keep them stocked with items people want and need. Things that people will buy from thrift stores vary, but there are a few things that are always in demand. Dolls, stuffed animals, toys with fancy features, accessories for toys (think Barbie clothes and jewelry, furniture for dolls, American Girl and Build-A-Bear clothes and accessories, play sets for Cricket and Corky dolls, play sets for Teddy Ruxpin bears, baby doll clothes, etc.), and toys related to popular media (Paw Patrol, Bluey, Blue’s Clues, Sonic the Hedgehog, Lilo & Stitch, Cars, Toy Story, Pokémon, and SpongeBob SquarePants being a few examples). Again, collaboration with your kids is key. They know what their friends and classmates are into, even if they’re not into it themselves these days. Maybe they went through a Peppa Pig phase last year, and now they’re all about Paw Patrol - but they know that their best buddy’s little sibling is crazy for Peppa Pig. Maybe your kid has decided that their baby doll, which came with three outfits, only needs two. Maybe they have an American Girl doll and they got the Allergy and Asthma set for the doll to relate to, but now, after a trip to their allergist with good news, the kid has decided their dolly friend “outgrew all her allergies!” Guess what would make another kid with allergies and/or asthma really happy? That’s right: having their doll carry around a tiny bag just like theirs with a tiny pill bottle, some tiny inhalers, tiny Epi-Pens, a tiny pack of tissues, and some tiny nosespray, all while wearing a tiny bracelet with tiny stickers on it indicating what the doll’s allergic to.

[trendswerespotted]

Branded Content in Film

Our previous guest lecture with Adam Pulchalsky covered branded entertainment content and various brands he has collaborated with! This was one of my favorite guest lectures I've seen during my time here at Syracuse. Adam believes that branded content will be the future of advertising/entertainment, and I agree.

Of course, last summer's blockbuster Barbie remains the queen of branded content. I think we will see the film industry move away from prequels, sequels, and sequels-to-sequels, and instead invest in developing stories around existing IP. We've seen this with video-game based movies/shows such as The Last of Us, The Mario Movie, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, we're seeing it with toy-based movies (Lego, Barbie). According to this statement from Mattel, the toy company plans to add to their movie universe by developing films based on their pre-existing IP such as Hot Wheels, American Girl Doll, Polly Pocket, Magic 8 Ball, UNO, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, and many more. In an age where nostalgia sells, this might be the perfect way to bring viewers back to "the good old days".

This is a very obvious form of branded content that tends to be in conversation with originality in film - just because a film is based of off existing IP, is it inherently less original? Not exactly, I think there are still plenty of creative directions to explore (depending on how married the director/producers are to the existing IP's lore).

Although I'm excited to see many of these upcoming Mattel films, I'm more interested in subtle forms of branded content and its ethical implications as brands begin to influence the art we consume. Sure, product placement has been a common practice in the industry for a while, but branded content is beginning to blur the lines between advertising and art even more. What if the movie I just watched was a 3 hour life insurance ad? Does it matter if it was entertaining? I think its more important to influence corporations now have over storylines, character development, and even entire franchises, which can potentially compromise creative integrity and artistic vision. Personally, I don't like the idea of brands having even more of an influence on our lives than they already do, but perhaps it's inevitable at this point...

[denimbex1986]

'The recent box office success of Barbie and Oppenheimer is a boon for movie theaters during this surprisingly fallow summer season. Films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and The Flash failed to bring in the hundreds of millions of dollars studios wanted. Excluding, for a moment, Mission: Impossible – Reckoning Part One, the summer's two biggest successes offer a lesson for superhero filmmakers.

With the WGA and SAG-AFTRA forced to strike, studios seem willing to risk burning down the entire industry to save what amounts to infinitesimal percentages of their revenues. The future of everything is in flux now, from when movies like Beyond the Spider-Verse will release to whether streaming as an industry is "over." Yet, even in ordinary times, studios are reactionary. After films like Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind succeeded, a glut of sci-fi pictures was made, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture. While no one is rushing to the Hollywood trades to announce a series of films about World War II-era historical figures, Mattel is wasting no time trying to bring movies based on toys like Polly Pocket to theaters. Naturally, the hope is to replicate Barbie's success. When Spider-Man became the highest-opening movie ever in 2002, more superheroes followed. Once the Marvel Cinematic Universe took over, Warner Bros. raced (to their detriment) to introduce their own shared universe. Will toys, or even historical epics by auteur directors, become the next "superhero" film craze? Probably not.

Barbie and Oppenheimer Are Superhero Movies, Actually

On some level, all storytelling is formulaic, as folks like Professor Joseph Campbell and others have noted throughout the years. Superhero films are archetypal, meaning they have their necessary story beats. There is the origin story, the first attempts to be a hero, the near-defeat, and the triumphant saving of the day. One could apply all those beats to Barbie and Oppenheimer, but that's not how the audience sees them. Audiences know superheroes, even if they aren't fans. Someone who's never read a comic in their life knows what happened to Krypton, Batman's parents, and, of course, Uncle Ben. In this way, the films are superhero movies, because multiple generations of people grew up when the Barbie doll and J. Robert Oppenheimer were "household names."

Again, Oppenheimer is an outlier. The Historical Cinematic Universe is just reality in cinema. People who didn't get enough atom bomb construction can bide until Oppenheimer is released for home viewing by watching the gone-too-soon series Manhattan. Similarly, the Mattel Cinematic Universe will not be a second MCU. The reactions to Barbie's announcement were skeptical, even with heavyweight talent like Greta Gerwig signed on. Still, no studio will ever underestimate name recognition. Like superheroes, a beloved character's name in a movie will bring in audiences, if only out of curiosity. The Avengers only worked because people expected a visual trash fire and instead got a delightfully fun movie.

The animated Super Mario Bros. Movie is the only movie to cross the billion-dollar mark this year, though Barbie and Ken are rollerblading up on its heels. Again, generations grew up with Mario, Luigi, and the various Mushroom Kingdom characters that Nintendo built games and cartoons around. Sonic the Hedgehog's first movie was a surprise hit because it was an "actually good" video game movie. Curiosity will get audiences in the door once or even a few times. However, that's not what keeps them, as Marvel and DC have been discovering in the past few years.

The Secret to Barbie and Oppenheimer's Success Is Why Actors and Writers Are Striking

While the "Barbenheimer" memes absolutely pushed up Oppenheimer's box office take, it has an advantage over other films. Christopher Nolan is an auteur director who can fill a convention hall or bring eyeballs to interviews on his own. Despite Greta Gerwig's equally impressive relative track record, Oppenheimer is very much a "Christopher Nolan movie." Similarly, one of the reasons for Barbie's positive word-of-mouth from audiences is that Gerwig also applied auteur sensibilities to her film. Their visual style, combined with the stories and actors' performances, is why audiences love these movies. It's the same reason the MCU worked and the DCEU didn't.

Five years ago, anything that was once a Marvel or DC comic book was guaranteed to make at least $600 million. While it's still a ridiculous number, even "risky" superhero movies can get $200 million-plus budgets. However, audience curiosity played a huge role. In the first decade of the 2000s, it was about how these superheroes could appear "realistic." X-Men eschewed the colorful outfits, and Nolan's take on Batman was as authentic as that character gets. In the 2010s, when shared continuity was introduced, audiences came to see heroes teaming up. Today, the only thing that will keep them coming back to the theaters is the stories. Otherwise, they are content to catch it on streaming or skip it altogether.

Barbie's success is just like those early superhero films. It's a fun movie like audiences expect it to be. Yet, it also uses these familiar characters to convey emotional and psychological experiences through the characters by making them feel like "real" people. What helps Barbie continue to bring in audiences after is the work of the writers and actors who took something that shouldn't work and made it something powerful. The name may be important for getting audiences' attention at first, but it's only the quality of the storytelling and performance that keep them coming back.'

[sevenheven7011]

Sonic hc: Amy definitely has a monster high phase and she got Knuckles into it too cause they have weekly hang outs on angel island where she brings over her laptop and they watch stuff while eating some fruit or some cookies she whipped up

[tenshindon]

cant sleep so i thought about how sean schemmel v/o’d black doom :)